Monday, April 30, 2018

(Warsash, England)- Who knew?! There really is a “spring” on the
seasonal calendar. Given the fact that northern Europe and the upper
half of North America have all experienced an extraordinarily cold and
dreary early spring, one can be forgiven for jumping for joy like kids
when the sun pops out, nice warm winds caress our faces, and shorts can
be worn for once!

Yes, spring finally did arrive for the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring
Series. The great weather on Sunday also produced some of the best
racing on the water.

The White Group had a light shifty SW breeze of 5 to 6 knots that
eventually settled into 13 knots. The “U” flag (no boats permitted in
the start line windward mark triangle in the last minute of start
sequence) was used for the three J/70 starts, which all got away cleanly
with most competitors within half a boat length of the start.

The number of J/70 entries was boosted by those boats in the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship
which runs over the two weekends 21/22 and 28/29 April, and the quality
of racing was excellent. The White Group J/70 fleet leader in the
series is DSP (Douglas Struth) with JEEPSTER (Graham Clapp) in second
position and PEGGY (Jon Powell) in third.

In the Spring Championship, after seven races, it is Jon Calascione’s
CALYPSO leading with just 14 pts, with Marshall King’s SOAK RACING from
Ireland in second with 19 pts and Philip Rees Bryn in third with 33
pts. Rounding out the top five is Laurie Smith’s ALFIE in 4th and
Martin Dent’s JELVIS in 5th.

Black Group Series
Black Group had two races on Sunday with mainly windward-leeward courses
using fixed and laid marks. The wind was generally about 240 to 250
degrees and between 7 and 9 knots, but it did drop to 2 to 4 knots for a
while during the first race, which meant the bigger deeper draft yachts
who couldn't do as much tide dodging, came to a near standstill for a
while. Tidal tactics were vital as the beats were quite long against the
tide on the southern edge of the Brambles plateau and the breeze was
unreliable. The second race was a short and sharp one as the breeze
picked up and the racecourse was busy and lively.

In IRC 1 Class race 4, Chris Daniel’s J/122 JUNO took second, while in
race 5, Chris Jones’ J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II took the second. As a result,
tied on third @ 8 pts for best records of the day were the J/122 JUNO
and also Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG.

IRC2
is led overall by Chaz Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES with a first and
third on Sunday to retain their lead with a total of 6 pts net in five
races (four counted).

In IRC3, Rachel, David & Robert Hunt’s J/97 JUMBLESAL 2 has climbed
onto the provisional podium by scoring two 2nds o the date, sitting just
one point in arrears of the silver with one weekend to go! Just three
points back from them is a perennial contender in the class, David
Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO.

The J/109 fleet saw Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE go over the line early in the
first race and, after restarting last, was able to overtake the boats
ahead in breeze and held on to win! Thereafter, Robert Stiles’ DIAMOND
JEM won race 5. Consequently, JIRAFFE holds a healthy lead in the J/109
class overall, tossing a 2nd to count just 1sts and 2nds for 6 pts net.
Sitting in second is Mike & Susie Yates’ JAGO with 13 pts net and
third id David McGough’s JUST SO with 16 pts.

In
the J/88 fleet, David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM had a dominant day
with two wins. However, Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS continues to lead the class
overall by just a point over Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR. Holding
comfortably onto third is Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL.

Black Championship
After the first weekend of sailing the Crewsaver Warsash Spring
Championship, the IRC 1 Class sees groups of boats clumped together just
one point shy of the podium, that is how close sailing has been in this
tight fleet. Cornell Riklin’s J/111 JTTERBUG is tied for 4th with 20
pts, only 1 pt away from the bronze. Her stablemates are just behind
them, Daniel’s J/122 JUNO in 6th and Jones’ J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II in
7th.

The beautifully restored J/35 BENGAL MAGIC/ KNIGHT BUILD LTD is winning
the class after closing with two bullets in the final two races for a
total of just 9 pts in six races (5 counted).

Then,
in IRC 3 Class, Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II sits in second place with
9 pts, just one point off the lead. And, Mike Lewis’ J/80 JESTER is
third with 10 pts and Jack Banks’ J/92 NIGHTJAR is fourth.

Finally, leading the J/109 fleet in this event also happens to be
Perry’s JIRAFFE. Second is John Smart & Chris Copeland’s JUKEBOX
and third is Chris Preston’s JUBILEE.

Peter Bateson, Series Chairman "Good luck to everyone for next Sunday
29th April, the final day of racing in this year's Helly Hansen Warsash
Spring Series.”

Sunday, April 29, 2018

(Falmouth Harbour, Antigua)- More than 100 boats registered from 30
countries worldwide and crews from many more will be taking part in a
nine-day festival of racing and shoreside events that is Antigua Sailing
Week 2018, the Caribbean’s longest running regatta.

“The DNA of Antigua Sailing Week is professional race management and fun
ashore after racing,” commented Commercial Director of Antigua Sailing
Week, Alison Sly-Adams. “Last year we celebrated 50 years of Antigua
Sailing Week and this year we see as the start of the next half century.

“We have a great format with 3 to 4 hours of racing each day off the
South-East coast of Antigua. Once competitors get ashore, they
experience fantastic events suitable for everyone. We have tried hard to
listen to what the competitors want and also provide a great
environment for non-racing friends and family.”

Over 70 yachts will be racing in the CSA Classes and winning skippers of the famous Lord Nelson Trophy will be competing.

The
CSA racing fleet has a huge variety of professional and Corinthian
sailors, young and old. In the CSA Racing Class, there will be a trio of
J/122s going for the gold, such as hometown hero Pamala Baldwin’s
LIQUID, Victor Vasiliou’s NOISY OYSTER from France, and Kym Kapalla’s EL
OCASO from Roadtown BVI. The J/120 JAGUAR, skippered by Ben Jelic from
St Maarten and another local hero, Tanner Jones’ J/30 BLUE PETER/
CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE, will join them.

Racing kicks off with the stand-alone Peters & May Round Antigua
Race on Saturday April 28 followed by six days of Antigua Sailing Week
from April 29 to May 4. While racing always comes first at Antigua
Sailing Week, the shoreside fun is very much part of the regatta.

Competitors gather after racing for the daily prize giving. On May 1,
internationally acclaimed reggae artiste, Tarrus Riley is set to
headline at Reggae in the Park along with DJ Puffy and Private Ryan, one
of the most highly anticipated events on the Antigua Sailing Week Party
Calendar. After the big party night, the Wadadli Lay Day Beach Party on
May 2 will this year include fun dinghy and SUP racing and zany beach
games along with a line-up of seven DJs.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

(
San Diego, CA)- Regattas offer us that occasional test of skill, with the most skilled
enjoying the sweet taste of the front of the fleet, and the trophy
winners gaining the extra boost of ego nourishment. There are the haves,
and the have nots.

But the best regattas offer more than just racing. They deliver that
inviting atmosphere onshore where competitors can tell lies about the
day and otherwise enjoy a social environment. It is where we come
together, away from the pecking order.

For the second year running, Charleston Race Week (April 13-15)
has organized entertainment after racing on Saturday in the hopes of
filling that time slot from docking to dinner. The vision last year was
to gather up some of the notable skippers, put them on J/22s, and have
some races within sight of the cocktail gripping crowd and allow the
heckling to ensue. The Pro-Am J/22 Regatta was born.

Apparently, it worked well enough that it is on again this year, with America’s Cup winning skipper Ed Baird doing play-by-play
and the races live streamed on a Jumbotron in the Regatta Village. Not
unlike a baseball game, where cups are filled and bladders emptied
between innings, spectating will require strategy during this series of
short races.

New this year is how each boat will have two high school aged crew,
providing them valued exposure to the approach of seasoned sailors, or
at least learn how cuss words contribute to competitiveness. Also
onboard will be a student from the College of Charleston to ensure these
“expert” sailors don’t screw up the school’s boats.

For the skippers, it’s an opportunity to give back to the sport, but
with the risk that racing with a pick-up team, in an unfamiliar boat,
could lead to poor finishes and reputation scars. Nobody wants to get
last, which was the fate of Allan Terhune in 2017.

For someone who has notched up eleven continental championships (in the
Lightning, Flying Scot and Thistle Classes) and was crowned the 2013
J/22 World Champion, getting DFL for Allan was unfamiliar territory.

But he’s returning to make amends in 2018, and he just needs to beat one
person to pass on the baton. In his way will be Rolex Yachtsman of the
Year Steve Benjamin, US Sailing President Bruce Burton, Rio 2016
Olympian Paris Henken, multiple World Champion Steve Hunt, J/Boat expert
Travis Odenbach, the king of Gill North America David Pritchard, and
defending champion Christophe Killian from the College of Charleston
sailing team.

And one more… me.

The event did not award Allan with his rightfully earned perpetual, so I
am going to source a memento for the last placed skipper this year…just
in case. Thanks for this contribution from Craig Leweck/ Scuttlebutt News.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

(Newport, RI)- The United States J/22 Class Association has announced that Patrick
Isherwood and his team have been awarded the annual J/22 Scholarship
Boat. Isherwood was selected from several extremely qualified candidates
from the nation’s top-ranked university sailing teams.

Isherwood, and his teammates Jack Hurley, Peter Girard, Dakota Northrup
and Marina Barzaghi, will be campaigning the scholarship sailboat during
the summer. Possessing high-performance records in a variety of
dinghies and keelboats, the team plans to compete in several J/22
regattas, including the 2018 J/22 World Championship at Annapolis Yacht
Club in September.

The J/22 Youth Scholarship Boat Program was designed to encourage
talented youth sailors to experience the J/22 Class’s tremendous
community of one-design sailors – at virtually no cost. The goal of the
program is to escalate the scholarship team’s experience and inspire
them to accomplish great things in the sailing world. The scholarship
program is funded through generous contributions from North Sails and
members of the J/22 Class Association.

“North Sails is proud to provide sails for this excellent youth sailing
opportunity in the J/22 Class,” said Mike Marshall, sail designer/design
services for North Sails. “We are excited to work with a new youth team
that is energized about sailing J/22 sailboats. We want to provide them
with the opportunity to race at the highest possible level. The more we
can help this program succeed, the stronger the J/22 Class and quality
of racing becomes.”

Patrick Isherwood is a junior ocean engineering student at the University of Rhode Island where
he sails as part of the sailing team. He grew up sailing C420s in local
Narragansett and Buzzards Bay events. As a freshman, Isherwood sailed
for the University of Rhode Island under coach Skip Whyte. His
collegiate major successes include winning A division at the 2016 Boston
University Trophy and the 77th Schell Trophy at MIT. His first exposure
to keelboat sailing was trimming main on a J/35— a boat he still races.
More recently, Isherwood has begun racing J/22s with Matt Dunbar and
Bill Porter. In 2016, he had the chance to compete in the J/22
Worlds—jump starting his exposure to J/22 sailing. This inspired
Isherwood to sail weekly J/22 events—most recently skippering in the
2017 J/Fest. He has sailed on many different boats in various crew
positions, including a J/111, J/30, Aerodyne and 210.

Jack Hurley is sailing for the University of Rhode Island .
He views the J/22 Scholarship Boat grant as an opportunity to broaden
his sailing experience. Hurley has been sailing all his life in many
different regattas. Most recently, he competed in the Around Long Island
Regatta. During this regatta, Hurley was the foredeck on a Farr 395. He
has also sailed J/22s, most notably at the 2017 Annapolis NOOD Regatta.
These were both amazing experiences where Hurley expanded his skills
and further developed as a sailor. He participated in high school and
college sailing. While on the high school team, Hurley competed and
placed at multiple state- and divisional-level events and became captain
of the team his senior year. Currently, he is sailing for the
University of Rhode Island. Hurley has sailed with Pat Isherwood for two
years. Isherwood and Harley have been successful racing in multiple
regattas.

Peter Girard is a senior ocean engineering student at the University of Rhode Island.
Girard competes as a skipper on the University of Rhode Island sailing
team. Sailing has been a central part of his life since he began sailing
at Community Boating Incorporated on the Charles River. Girard was on
the junior program race team, competing in youth events in Boston. He
sailed throughout high school, where he was captain during his senior
year and competed in events as part of the New England Schools Sailing
Association (NESSA). His desire to participate in its highly active
sailing team was a crucial aspect of his decision to attend the
University of Rhode Island. He has placed in high-level college sailing
events throughout the east coast.

Marina Barzaghi is a freshman skipper at the University of South Florida
pursuing a major in nursing and a minor in psychology. Barzaghi raced
C420s in the New England summer circuit for four years and crewed on a
boat that achieved 25th place out of 173 participating boats at the 2016
Buzzards Bay Regatta. She also won A division at the NESSA women’s
championship her junior and senior years. As a freshman in college,
Barzaghi placed second out of 16 competitors in B division at Mrs. Hurst
Bowl at Dartmouth College. She also skippered in A division at the
Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship. She has keelboat racing experience
on Narragansett Bay aboard J/22s, J/24s and Shields. Barzaghi delivered a
Swan 56 from Bermuda to Newport in 2016 and raced the same boat in the
2016 and 2017 NYYC Annual Cruise. This summer, she will compete in the
Newport to Bermuda Race on a Swan 56 and will continue to be involved in
keelboat competition throughout New England.

Dakota Northrup is a student at the University of Rhode Island.
Northrup started sailing at the age of 13. He competed at NBYA events
on C420s when he was 15 years old. Northrup has competed at events
outside of Narragansett Bay and has participated in the Brooke E.
Gonzalez Advance Race Clinic. He also raced in the Buzzard Bay, New
Bedford, Hyannis and Falmouth Regattas. Northrup is part of the
University of Rhode Island sailing team, coached by Skip Whyte.
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Friday, April 27, 2018

(Newport Beach, CA)- The Southern California offshore season continues
to ramp up in the later stages of spring. After the famous San Diego to
Puerto Vallarta Race that took place a few weeks ago, it’s now time for
the Newport to Ensenada Race- still one of the world’s largest
international yacht races, with a legendary 125nm course that starts off
the piers at Newport Beach, CA and heads south down the California
coastline to a finish inside Toto Santos Bay off the lovely Hotel Coral
& Marina in Ensenada.

Starting on April 27th, the fleet of 180+ boats will look forward to
their 71st annual edition of the race. Answering that seductive call to
the sea- the “song of the sirens”- are nearly a dozen J/crews from the
Southern California region.

The
majestic queen of the PHRF A fleet will be the J/65 GOOD CALL, sailed
by Tom Barker from the Cortez Racing Association. Two of the insanely
fast J/125 offshore speedsters will be participating- TIMESHAVER (Viggo
Torbensen from Dana Point YC) and WARRIOR (Dr Laura Schlessinger from
Santa Barbara YC).

In the next PHRF B class will be Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL sailing for
the Cortez Racing Association. However, he will have to contend with
two strong J/120 offshore crews- POLE DANCER (Terri Manok from OYC) and
HASL FREE (Rudolph Hasl from San Diego YC).

Sailing PHRF C will be the J/105 ROCINANTE sailed by Juan Lois from
SBYRC and the J/35 MACS skippered by Eric McClure from Alamitos Bay YC.
Then in PHRF D is the J/92 DOUBLE DOWN helmed by Brian Kerr from SMW
YC.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

(San Francisco, CA)- An even 100 shorthanded crews signed up for the
Single Handed Sailing Society's "Round The Rocks" race on Saturday. A
19.3 nm jaunt from the Berkeley Circle, up and over "The Rock" of
Alcatraz, and up to Harding Rock and then north to "the Brothers rocks,"
leaving all to starboard, then back south leaving Red Rock to port and
finishing in the Potrero Reach at the RYC Race Platform.

Conditions were as expected, light to medium at start with winds in the
8-10 knot range with slack water changing towards an ebb made for a fast
ride to the west from the flats towards the gate, and just enough south
in breeze for boats carrying kites to set them after rounding Harding.
Nary a boat we saw headed towards Point Blunt, instead Raccoon Strait
was the route d'jour. Though winds were lighter in the strait for the
front-runners, it was still enough for decent VMG through and out
towards the North Bay.

The one caveat for the fleet was the sneaky mud bank that lives between
Elephant Rock and Bluff Point on the north side of the strait. Some
boats managed to hit it!

The winds started off light, but late in the race, a sudden increase in
the breeze gave the boats in the back a healthy dose of “hallelujahs”
and the crew working the finish line got a big shot of "Yikes, they are
all coming at once!!”

Overall, the vast majority of the boats finished in a window between
15:15:00 and 15:40:00 in the afternoon on what was an absolutely
gorgeous day for the short-handed crews sailing around San Francisco
Bay. J/Crews had a fun time and even managed to collect some silverware
for their trophy shelves.

(Sochi, Russia)- Over the April 13th to 15th weekend, the second stage
of the Russian J/70 Sailing League took place in Sochi, Russia, racing
just offshore on the rough and tumble Black Sea for the twenty-seven
teams participating in the regatta. In the end, another new leader
emerged from the ranks of Russia’s top sailors- Maxim Taranov’s team on
CALIPSO from Tuapse, Russia.

Day One- Friday
On the first day of competition, fifteen races were held. Each of the
teams sailed five races, with several unexpected, if not sensational,
outcomes in the standings!

Topping the leaderboard with 8 points was the BLACK SEA Team with
skipper Oleg Kuzmin from the host city- Sochi. Then, 2nd and 3rd place
was surprisingly shared by KONAKOVO RIVER CLUB’s Dmitry Shunin from
Moscow and LEVIATHAN’s Vadim Yahinson from St Petersburg, both sitting
with 14 points each. One point behind them was CALIPSO’s Maxim Taranov,
and then one more point back was ARTTUBE RUS1’s Valeria Kovalenko crew
from Taganrog (Moscow).

Day Two- Saturday
The second day of competition produced more surprises, again! Eleven
more races were sailed, bringing the total to twenty-six. Nine teams
had sailed 8 races, eighteen teams a total of 9 races.

Saturday's races did not change the composition of the top five, but it
did change the team standings on the leaderboard. Taranov’s CALIPSO now
led, followed by Kuzmin, Kovalenko, Yakhinson and Shunin.

Note, that the winner of the first Act in Sochi- NAVIGATOR Sailing Team
with Igor Rytov as skipper- was now in the 12th position, an indication
of how tough the competition had become since the first regatta.

The main questions for the regatta was- will the debutantes at the top
of the standings be able to defend their positions and climb onto the
podium? Why is it so tough? Make note of the fact that this event had
many of Russia’s top Olympic sailing athletes on various teams- famous
names in Europe such as Sergey Komissarov, Denis Gribanov, Jan Chekh,
Ivan Zotov, Christian Chekh, Vladimir Chaus, Boris Kucherenko, and Pavel
Karachov, to name a few!

Day Three- Sunday
The third day of competition saw more good sailing conditions and the
regatta PRO managed to knock out ten more races, for a total of 36 races
completed! In the end, each of the teams sailed a total of twelve
races.

Sailing in their first Russian National J/70 Sailing League regatta, it
was Maxim Taranov’s crew on CALIPSO that won by just 3 pts, with 30
total. His crew consisted of Vladimir Shishkin, Nikolai Kryuchkov, Egor
Zuev and Ilya Polishchuk; like ARTTUBE RUS1, this team had only two
finishes off the podium in twelve races- a superior result for the
debutante of the Higher Division!

Taking second place, not surprisingly for many familiar with top Russian
J/70 teams, was Valerya Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS team; consisting of
Alexander Bozhko, Igor Lisovenko, and Denis Rozhkov. The team had a
rough start, scoring a 5-2-8 in their first three races, but they got
their “mojo” going and came roaring back, posting two 1sts and five 2nds
enroute to racing up the leaderboard to take the silver. As a result,
their two 2nd places in the first two events gives them a strong lead
for the overall series.

In the third place were KONAKOVO RIVER CLUB’s Dmitry Shunin, Artem
Basalkin, Artem Markov and Ivan Kolinko. This finish, coupled with a
fourth in the first event, has moved them up into second place behind
Kovalenko’s team for the overall series.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

(Fort Worth, Texas)- The Fort Worth Boat Club is hosting the 2018 J/70
Corinthian National Championship from April 25th through April 29th.
This will be the third time this event has been held and will be a World
Qualifier!

The Fort Worth Boat Club on Eagle Mountain Lake was chosen because of
the excellent weather and sailing in late April and its proximity to
Club de Vela La Peña in Valle de Bravo, Mexico- they are hosting the
J/70 North American Championship two weeks later from May 14th to
20th.

As a Corinthian event, all competitors (owner, driver, crew) must have World Sailing Group 1 classification.

In addition to three great days of racing, the goal is to make the
regatta an opportunity for all competitors to improve their performance
and great amounts of information will be shared with top pro coaches
on-site. Furthermore, long-time Fort Worth BC friend and sailor- Bruce
Golison- will be the Race Committee’s PRO.

So far, sixteen teams have registered for the event. There are many new
faces in the crowd as well as several prominent J/70 class veterans in
the mix. Perhaps the most prominent of those teams is a past J/80 World
Champion, J/105 North American Champion- Glenn Darden sailing HOSS from
the host club. In addition, the 2017 Quantum J/70 Midwinter Series
Champion- Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE- will also be sailing for his
host club. A top J/105 champion sailor will be trying his hand in the
class- Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS. The lone woman skipper is Liz
Barker’s YOUR MOM’S A HOOLIGAN from Vermillion Boat Club in Rocky River,
OH. For all scoring and registration information For more J/70 Corinthian Nationals sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

(Warsash, England)- Success in the second day of racing in the Helly
Hansen Warsash Spring Series on Sunday 15th April went to those skippers
who played the strong tides in the Solent and managed to stay in
breeze.

Having lost two Sunday's of racing due to the weather, the race
committee was keen to get racing going. Despite the breeze not reaching
the numbers forecast, it managed to run two races for the Black Group
and the usual three races for White Group.

Black
Group's two starts were near Robin Culpan buoy in the Solent, with
courses running towards East Bramble and Goodall Roofing; upwind against
the building tide, and downwind with it. Most boats chose to stay
offshore in the steadier breeze rather than seeking less tide inshore.

IRC 1 class saw Paul Griffith’s JAGERBOMB post a 4th to move themselves
up to 5th overall. In IRC 2 class in the first race, Chaz Ivill’s J/112E
DAVANTI TYRES won their second race and now leading the class in the
series. In IRC 3 class, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO continue to
sail consistently and are sitting in 3rd for the series.

The winners in the two races for the J/109 class were JIRAFFE (Simon
Perry) and JUST SO (David McGough). As a result, JIRAFFE leads with 5
pts, while JUST SO and Mike & Susie Yates’ JAGO are tied on 10 pts
each.

Winning
both races in the J/88 class was Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR to take the
class lead with 4 pts. Posting two 2nds to hold on to second place was
Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS with 5 pts. Currently sitting in third position is
Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL with 11 pts.

The White Group was started with a tight beat near the mainland shore
and a light Southerly breeze that then started flicking more Easterly.
The first start was against the tide, which helped ensure no premature
starters.

The committee boat moved more offshore for race 2 and again everyone was
well behaved and got away cleanly. In race 3, there was one boat over
the line and a collision (!), and the windward mark had to be moved for
subsequent laps as the breeze swung.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

(Almere, The Netherlands)- Fifteen teams started the coveted Dutch
National J/70 Sailing League against the skyline of Almere. In total,
no less than twenty-seven races were sailed during the first round of
the Eredivisie Sailing 2018. At the end, the WV Almere Centraal Team
fought off two very tough crews to mark their first win of the season.

Day One- Friday
After a day's sailing one thing became clear, the battle for the title
was going to be incredibly exciting with the top three teams all within
two points of each other.

It
was early in the morning when the participating teams gathered at the
Weerwater in Almere. Race Officer Alex Hoeve expected a very exciting
season. "The level is getting higher and the differences between them
are getting smaller. The Dutch teams have also come along well on an
international level. Our challenge as an organization is to get even
more teams excited for this great competition!”

After an early morning postponement, the participants started racing at
1300 hrs. The light, shifty winds made it a challenge for both sailors
and the committee.

WV Almere takes a strong start
The reigning national champion, WV Almere Centraal started strong on
their home waters. To the question of whether the competition has gotten
closer, John den Engelsman, the WVAC skipper, confidently answered,
"Based on what I have seen today, not yet!” They closed their the first
day at the top of the ranking.

JC Scheveningen
One of the challengers this year was Jachtclub Scheveningen. In the very
first race of the season, they immediately put everyone on notice of
their ambition for the rest of the season, by convincingly sailing to
victory. The rest of the day showed that the club from South Holland was
a formidable competitor.

SHE SAILS Team
One of the eye-catchers of the field is, just like last year, the YC
Amsterdam team- SHE SAILS. This year they are sailing with five ladies
in the boat, versus four last year.

"Last year we sailed with five women during the large J/70 class races.
However, during the Eredivisie we had a woman shortage in the boat, that
affected some of our boat-handling maneuvers. With five ladies here,
that issue has now been resolved." The ladies do everything to stand out
and promote their program, this year they can be recognized by their
gloves with floral prints. “They’re from IKEA, they are so nice and
wrong!”

Day 2- Saturday
Large differences in pressure and wind directions marked sailing on
Saturday. The variable conditions made the tactics difficult for many of
the sailing teams. Mistakes were expensive, but this had no effect on
the top three teams.

The
regatta leader, skipper Marco de Klerk of WV Almere Centraal, was
satisfied with their performance. "We started well and the pace was
right. In total, we sailed four flights with a total of 12 races over a
period of three and a half hours. There were many interesting duels for
the jury to judge. Unfortunately, even a few collisions and some
damage."

Despite the shifty, streaky winds, WV Almere Centraal remained
consistently at the top with 17 points. They were followed closely by
RR&ZV Maas & Roer Team and the Jachtclub Scheveningen Team, both
only one point away from each other. WV de Meeuwen, KZ & RV Muiden
and WV Brassermermeer shared 4th to 6th places with 24 points each,
which shows the high level of competition- no one is giving a
millimeter!

Day 3- Sunday
With 4 to 6 knots of wind, the teams all started on-time, first thing in
the morning. Shortly after the finish of the first flights, the wind
suddenly disappeared and the postponement flag was hoisted immediately.

After half an hour, it was decided to send the boats back to the shore,
hoping for the return of the wind. Despite strong attempts to complete a
full series of three races, the weather Gods were not favorable to the
sailors on Sunday. As a result, the only race on Sunday morning did not
count for the rankings. Therefore, the scores at the end of Saturday’s
racing became the final results for the first Act in Almere.

WV Almere Centraal achieves objective
"The weekend sailing in familiar territory has paid off. Our goal was to
win this weekend and we succeeded! Admittedly, with a minimum margin,
because it was very close racing. Three teams shared fourth place, so we
are still getting strong competition this season. In any case, it was a
fun and a great round to sail,“ said team captain John den Engelsman.

Team RR&ZV Maas & Roer happily surprised
The tone was set with the final result of round 1, winning their last
two races. The minimal difference in points between the top three (just 2
pts) shows the competitive level is quite high. By performing well and
consistently, RR&ZV Maas & Roer hoped to earn a star certificate
for the prestigious Sailing Champions League later this year.

"This weekend, we unexpectedly had a different team composition and we
were forced to sail with an inexperienced combination. Nevertheless, we
sailed well and the new members did a great job! It went smoothly with
smooth communication on board. We are very satisfied and look forward to
the next round of play, where we hopefully have the home advantage,”
commented their team captain.

(Gustavia, St Barth)- The ninth edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth
Richard Mille started with a splash on Monday, April 9th, welcoming 53
teams in the regatta’s seven classes. The entire fleet enjoyed the first
day’s racing in perfect easterly trade winds between 15 to 20 knots and
big swell on the coastal courses – between 28 and 29 nautical miles –
with a start and finish right outside of Gustavia port.

After an epic start off the Port of Gustavia for the second day of
racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille, the fleet went on a
wild ride up the southeast coast. With winds gusting upward of 25
knots, the fleet of 53 teams battled it out in frantic surf. At the end
of the day’s races, which included a 23-mile course for the CSA 3
Classes, a 32-mile loop for the CSA 1 and 2 Classes and then a 39-mile
course for the Maxi 1, Maxi 2, OMA and CSA Multihull, the fatigue was evident.

“The conditions were fantastic today!” Richard Eames on board the J/105
WHISTLER in CSA 3. The WHISTLER team was sitting in third place and
optimistic about making the podium in their fifth Les Voiles de Saint
Barth. “We had to be very focused on the attitude of the boat,
especially downwind but it made the navigation very exciting. Downwind
we were flying at unbelievable speeds.“

Jimmy Buffett Surprise Concert
The sailors quickly forgot their aches and pains after a hard day of
hiking in the big waves once singer Jimmy Buffett announced a surprise
concert on Tuesday evening. Buffett, this year’s US ambassador, treated
the regatta to live music dockside in the Race Village.

Postcard
conditions continued on Friday as competition resumed for the seven
fleets after Les Voiles’ signature Day Off on Thursday and lots of fun
and games at the infamous NIKI BEACH cafe and bar. On the menu were
18-22 knot breezes. The PRO set a 22-mile course for CSA 1 and 2 and an
18-mile loop for CSA 3. As in previous days, the conditions were ideal
and the fight was intense.

On Saturday’s final act for Les Voiles, the fabulous 25–27 knot winds
with gusts in the low 30s and big seas, took their place on center stage
to create a spectacular finish for the 9th edition.

In the CSA 2 Division, Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua sailed
a consistent six-race series to finish 4th, just two points from taking
the bronze position on the podium. In fact, a fifth race OCS dropped
them out of contention for the podium. Then, Sacha Daunar’s J/120
PAULISTA from Guadeloupe took 5th place behind them.

Monday, April 23, 2018

(Locarno, Switzerland)- The first Act of the season-long Swiss J/70
Sailing Super League just took place on Lago Maggiore, the large pretty
lake bordered on the north by Switzerland and the south by Italy. While
the weather was sunny and spectacular, the fleet of the best twelve
sailing clubs in Switzerland were only able to sail fourteen races in
the classic “Inverna” wind conditions (the southerly thermal breeze) on
Saturday-only.

The favorites sailed away in the opening round to the Swiss National
J/70 Sailing League. The Segler Verein Kreuzlingen team, with skipper
Tom Rüegge, dominated the regatta with five race wins. They were closely
followed by the Société Nautique de Genève with Youth America's Cup
tactician Guillaume Rigot at the helm.

The
sailing level in the Super League is higher than ever. Only meters
separated the boats at the finish line. Even the smallest mistake costs
precious places. This made the J/70 Swiss Sailing Super League more
exciting than ever. Although the favorites are again in the lead this
year, their pursuers are hot on the trail and have proven they can beat
them on the race track.

Guillaume Rigot and the Société Nautique de Genève have clear goals- to
qualify again for the Sailing Champions League and the Swiss
Championship. However, he is not alone with this goal- the defending
champion Regattaclub Bodensee did everything to win the Cup for the
third time in a row. Olympian and SV Kreuzlingen skipper Tom Rüegge is
pleased with the inaugural victory of his team, but is aware that the
season is a total of 5 events and the Cup will probably be awarded in
the challenging finale in October in Versoix. Sailing photo credits- Claudia SommFollow Swiss J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Swiss J/70 Sailing League informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Wins Charleston Race Week Cup
(Charleston, SC)- The 2018 edition of the Sperry Charleston Race Week
will be remembered for its first two days of great weather for a vast
majority of the fleet. On Sunday, forecasts indicated a massive front
moving in across the harbor by the afternoon, producing a line of
thunderstorms, squalls, and possible tornados. As a result, only the
big offshore boats in ORC 1, ORC 2, and J/105s sailed early on Sunday
before the storms hit. Crowned as overall winner of the top one-design
fleet was Peter Duncan’s J/70 RELATIVE OBSCURITY from American YC in
Rye, New York. Here is how it all went down over the course of the
three-day event.

Day 1- Friday
Mother Nature delivered in a big way on the first day of Sperry
Charleston Race Week with action getting underway in strong winds, sunny
skies and warm temperatures. J/24 skipper Tony Parker called it
“champagne conditions” and it would be hard to argue with that
assessment.

Ten of the 11 classes competing on the four inshore circles were able to
complete four races in winds that ranged from 12 to 16 knots and swung
from south to slightly southwest. The lone exception was the highly
competitive J/70 class, which did three races at the request of the
sailors.

Because there are 66 boats in J/70, the class is so large that it is
split for re-seeding after each day of racing. Class organizers felt
three races would make for better round-robin competition.

Winds were lighter for the five classes racing on Circle 5 and Course 6
outside the jetties on the Atlantic. ORC A and B along with the J/105
one-design fleet all finished two races.

“What a wonderful day for sailing. You really could not ask for better
conditions,” proclaimed Parker, who took the early lead in J/24 class.
“It was challenging enough to make things really interesting. I think
the combination of changing current and shifting winds made for really
tight racing.”

Parker and his crew aboard the J/24 BANGOR PACKET sandwiched a couple
bullets inside a pair of seconds to close the day with a low score of
six points– two better than runner-up ANGEL OF HARLEM (Robby Brown, St.
Petersburg, FL).

“We had good starts and solid upwind speed so we were basically able to
dictate where we wanted to go,” said Parker, a seasoned J/24 sailor who
resides in Washington, D.C. “We were first at every weather mark in
three straight races to start the day, which was nice.”

North Sails pro Will Bomar is calling tactics for Parker, who is coming
off a tough season in which he was runner-up at the J/24 Worlds, East
Coasts and Midwinters. James Niblock is trimming the headsails and
Martha Parker from TEAM ONE NEWPORT in Newport, RI was working the bow
on BANGOR PACKET.

Day 2- Saturday
As the skies darkened over Charleston Harbor Saturday evening, the
leaders had to feel good about their position while the followers were
hoping for an opportunity to change the final standings.

“We’re still in the hunt. Hopefully, we’ll get two or three more races
tomorrow and be able to improve our position,” said SAVASANA skipper
Brian Keane, who holds fourth place in J/70 class.

Plans had called for the J/70 fleet to conduct three races per day, but
the prospect of thunderstorms on Sunday prompted the class leadership to
ask regatta organizers to run four on Saturday while the weather was
clear and the wind was blowing between 8 and 15 knots.

Peter Duncan and his crew on RELATIVE OBSCURITY had another solid day on
the water and were able to maintain their lead. RELATIVE OBSCURITY
finished 10th in Race 4, but came back with results of 1-3-4 and had a
low score of 22 points. John Brim’s RIMETTE team was seven points behind
Duncan and two points ahead of Joel Ronning and the CATAPULT crew.

A strong ebb tide pushed a bunch of boats over the start line and caused
two general recalls for J/70 class, largest of the regatta with 68
boats. It took a while to finish four races as a result and the fleet
did not return to the docks at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina until
5 p.m.

“They’re worried about the weather so they wanted to do four races,
which makes sense,” Keane said. “It was a really tough day out there
because the combination of the sea breeze and gradient. The wind was all
over the place.”

To complicate matters, the tide changed from ebb to flood late in the
afternoon. Keane sailed SAVASANA to victory in Race 6 after posting a
third in Race 5. Those results came between a 7th and a 10th and left
the Massachusetts entry with 34 points, just five points out of second
place.

“We had two very good races and two decent ones,” said Keane, runner-up
at the 2018 J/70 Worlds in Porto Cervo, Italy. “We had a couple good
starts and were able to get over to the lifted tack on the first
windward leg.”

Thomas Barrows and Joe Morris, who represented the United States in 49er
class at the 2016 Summer Olympics, are aboard SAVASANA as tactician and
jib trimmer, respectively. Veteran bowman Ron Weed rounds out the team.

Skipper Bruce Golison had MIDLIFE CRISIS in second place after taking
second in the opening race on Saturday. The Long Beach resident had an
impressive 1-7-2-2 score line at that point. Double-digit results in the
other three races on Saturday dropped Golison to 10th overall.

“This is one of the trickiest venues in the world and it’s easy to have
one of those days,” Golison said. “We got fouled and lost a lot of boats
in the third race today.”

Golison enjoyed considerable success in the J/24 and Etchells classes
before buying a J/70 three years ago. The 61-year-old loves racing a
sportboat and competing against some of the finest sailors in the world.

“It keeps me young,” Golison said. “I’ve never won a world championship
and that is still my goal. I came close in the J/24 and the Etchells.
We’ll see if I can get it done in the J/70.”

There
are 11 boats in J/22 class and seven are being sailed by Warrior
Sailing teams. Skipper Scott Ford is skippering the lone Warrior entry
that is racing with a spinnaker and doing extremely well. Ford is
trimming the mainsail, Sammy Lugo is trimming the jib and Josh Agripino
is driving USA 1367, which won Race 3 and has taken third in five other
starts.

“We had a lot of fun today. Conditions were great and the racing was
exciting,” said Ford, a former construction mechanic in the U.S. Navy
who is blind. “We’re really enjoying competing against the College of
Charleston students and feel pretty good about the results we’ve put
up.”

Agripino served in the Marine Corps and sustained severe injuries to his
lower legs and feet while also losing sight in one eye. Lugo, who
worked in civil affairs for the Army, had his right leg amputated just
below the knee.

J/22 class grew from three boats last year to 11 this year due to the
strong participation of members from the Warrior Sailing program along
with the generosity of the College of Charleston, which donated all the
boats. Ford was pleased that several of the Warrior teams are learning
how to fly a spinnaker and hope to do so at Charleston Race Week 2019.

VELOCIDAD took over the lead in the J/24 class as skipper Chris Stone
got the gun in two of three races held on Saturday. The New Jersey entry
was winning by tiebreaker over ANGEL OF HARLEM (Robby Brown, St.
Petersburg, FL), meanwhile Day 1 leader BANGOR PACKET (Tony Parker,
Washington, D.C.) dropped to third.

There is good action in J/88 class where Tim Finkle has skippered
SEAWEED to the top of the standings on the strength of four bullets.
Tactician Kris Werner, owner of the Quantum Sails loft in Rochester,
helped Finkle close out Saturday with back-to-back wins to gain eight
points of separation from Deviation (Iris Vogel, New Rochelle, NY) and
Spaceman Spiff (Rob Ruhlman, Cleveland, OH).

“We’ve had really tight racing and it’s still anyone’s game,” said
Werner, who works for the J/Boat dealership in the Buffalo area. “We’re
racing in fairly close quarters near Fort Sumter and there is not much
of a runway, which puts a premium on starts and boathandling.”

Taran
Teague, principal race officer on Circle 5, followed a windward-leeward
race with an 11-nautical mile distance race that finished in Charleston
Harbor. Mount Pleasant local Robert Scribner steered his J/105 JOYRIDE
to victory in all four races held over two days and had a comfortable
10-point lead in J/105 class.

Scribner made his Charleston Race Week debut last year and finished
fourth out of five boats in J/105. The 72-year-old skipper was
determined to do better this year and took steps to make that happen.

“We did a lot of preparation in the offseason. We paid more attention to
tuning the boat, got some new sails and developed a disciplined,
committed crew. That has proven a winning formula,” Scribner said. “We
were not very competitive last year so my crew chief (Maarten Zonjee)
and I decided to put in the effort to reverse that result.”

TEAMWORK, the highly successful J/122 owned by four-time Palmetto Cup
winner Robin Team, had its moment in the sun on Saturday by winning the
distance race.

Day Three- Sunday
There was an interesting dynamic taking place on the docks of Charleston
Harbor Resort and Marina Sunday morning. Some of the boats competing in
Sperry Charleston Race Week 2018 were getting ready to go racing with
sailors pulling on foul weather gear in anticipation of heavy air and
rough seas. Meanwhile, a bunch of other boats were in breakdown mode
with sailors packing up gear and carrying sails down the dock.

That unique dichotomy was the result of a split decision by event
organizers in response to a severe storm that was due to hit Charleston
this afternoon. After carefully reviewing weather reports and consulting
with overall principal race officer Hank Stuart, event director Randy
Draftz decided to conduct racing for certain classes while cancelling
the final day of action for others.

Sperry Charleston Race Week organizers announced in the morning that
competition would be canceled in nine of the 10 one-design classes along
with ORC C, which is comprised of smaller sportboats. Meanwhile, Stuart
and his team elected to allow the two Pursuit Race classes to complete a
condensed course out into the Atlantic Ocean and back. Meanwhile, the
three classes on Circle 5 (J/105, ORC A, ORC B) came into Charleston
Harbor for a windward-leeward course.

Draftz said the main reason for cancelling competition for the smaller
boats was concern about the haul out process. Draftz had to consider the
possibility of a severe thunderstorm hitting Charleston just as boats
were beginning to be lifted out of the water and put onto trailers.

“I’ve been watching the forecast all morning and the breeze is just
going to escalate. We could get one race in, but afterward we would have
to pull all the boats out of the water,” Draftz said. “It was just not a
prudent thing to do. We have 200 boats that have to get hauled out. You
have to error on the side of caution. We know it’s coming, we just
don’t know exactly when. Better to have cranes pulling boats out now as
opposed to 2 or 3 in the afternoon.”

With the entire fleet safely out of the water by early afternoon, the
final awards party on the beach at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina
was moved up to 3 p.m. Overall winner of Sperry Charleston Race Week
2018 were the J/70 RELATIVE OBSCURITY.

Skipper Peter Duncan and his crew on RELATIVE OBSCURITY won three races
and finished fourth or better in three others to capture the J/70 class,
largest of the regatta with 68 boats. Duncan received the Charleston
Race Week Cup for best overall performance by a one-design.

“Oh my God, it’s kind of off-the-charts. You read about people winning
trophies like this and you never think it could happen to you. It’s a
very, very cool honor,” Duncan said of capturing the Charleston Race
Week Cup.

This marked the first Sperry Charleston Race Week for Duncan, the
reigning J/70 World Champion. He came away completely sold on the
regatta and cannot wait to come back.

“It’s just a wonderful event with really great competition. It was
terrific to sail in this venue for the first time. Charleston is very
tricky with lots of shifts, lots of current. I just think it’s a really
well-run event and it was a pleasure to participate.”

Victor Diaz de Leon served as tactician and trimmed the main for Duncan,
who took the lead on Day 1 and never looked back. Willem Van Waay
trimmed the headsails aboard Relative Obscurity, which finished seven
points clear of runner-up Rimette (John Brim, Palm Beach, FL).

“I think the best thing we did was we went after the first day really
hard. We had a really good first day and that gave us a little latitude
on the second day,” said Duncan, a resident of Rye, N.Y. “Actually,
perhaps the most important thing was that we were really deep in two
races on the second day and came back. We fought really hard and battled
back to get a 10th and a third. To me, that was the key to winning the
regatta.”

Brim’s RIMETTE crew (which included Taylor Canfield as
mainsheet/tactician, a World Match Race and Congressional Cup Champion)
secured the silver. Meanwhile, Ronning’s CATAPULT crew (which included
John Kostecki as mainsheet/ tactician, J/24 World Champion and America’s
Cup winner) finished two points back to take the bronze. Rounding out
the top five were Brian Keane’s SAVASANA in 4th and John & Molly
Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES in 5th place.

Winning J/70 Corinthians Division was Andrew & Mallory Loe’s DIME
from Seattle, WA with a total of 68 pts and also finishing 15th in the
Open division. Second was Sarah Renz’s BERTEAU GROUP from Chicago, IL
with 86 pts and third was Jack & Vivien Wallace’s SELKIE, their best
performance in a major J/70 event for a team that sails on Lake
Champlain and hail from Burlington, Vermont.

Skipper Chris Stone steered VELOCIDAD to victory in the J/24 class,
winning three races and taking third in three others. VELOCIDAD finished
equal on points with Robby Brown (St. Petersburg, FL), but won the
tiebreaker based on posting one more bullet and Stone earned his first
class championship at Sperry Charleston Race Week.

“Well the starts, particularly with the current running out fast, were
very challenging. I’ve never been so far from a starting line with one
minute to go in my life. So timing was critical,” said Stone, from
Middletown, N.J. “We were very fortunate to come out on top in a very
tough fleet.”

Skipper
Tim Finkle led SEAWEED to the win in the J/88 class, getting the gun in
four of eight races in posting a low score of 16 points. It was tightly
bunched behind Seaweed with four boats finishing with either 24 or 25
points.

“We had a really good team that put a lot of effort into preparation and
that paid off,” said Finkle, a J/Boat dealer in Buffalo who credited
tactician Kris Werner for repeatedly putting the boat in good spots. “We
got a bunch of good starts, which was huge because you had to get to
one side of the course quickly because the current was such a huge
factor.”

Leading the regatta after the first day, Mike Bruno’s WINGS crew from
Rye, NY enjoyed a 3 pt lead on the closely packed fleet. During
Saturday’s racing, their first two results of a 3-3 matched the second
place team, Finkle’s SEAWEED, leaving the gap the same and WINGS hanging
on to the lead. However, after two gorgeous races, the Circle 3 RC/
PRO team took nearly three hours to change the course to match the
winds. By late afternoon when the third race of the day started after
1530 hrs, the wind had gone quite light due to the low-flying cloud
cover rolling in from the ocean. Liking the “lake-like” conditions,
SEAWEED posted a 1-1 in the final two races to take the win. Meanwhile,
Bruno’s WINGS had issues with speed and executing on the corners of the
course, registering a 7-8 to lose the lead. After tossing out their 8th
place, the WINGS crew ended up one point off a three-way tie for 2nd
place, having to settle for 4th. Meanwhile, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION and
Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF both ended tied on points at 24 pts for
second place, with the tiebreak going in favor DEVIATION.

The J/22s saw Ryan Davidson’s INVISIBLE BOATMOBILE and David Buckley’s
MAGIC 8 BALL close the regatta tied on points at 9 apiece for first
place. Winning that countback was Davidson’s team. Comfortably
securing the bronze on the podium was Scott Ford’s WARRIO SAILING with
16 pts net.

Sperry Charleston Race Week 2108 closed with a distance race for the
Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker classes on the Pursuit Race course along
with a windward-leeward course in Charleston Harbor for the ORC A, ORC B
and J/105 classes.

That last race proved decisive in the Spinnaker Pursuit class, as
skipper Rick Moore steered the J/120 MOOSE DOWN to line honors. Chessie
Racing, the Tripp 62 owned by George Collins, finished fifth and that
four-point swing enabled MOOSE DOWN to secure the overall victory.

“Actually, the key to the whole thing was our crew just keeping the boat
moving forward at all times, particularly on Friday when it was very
light and sloppy,” said Moore, a Charleston local.

“Today we were fully-loaded and totally dialed in. We stayed on target,
watched where we were going and used the currents. We’re extremely
thankful for the outcome. It was a great day of racing and we had a
blast in the Pursuit fleet. It’s a challenge when you see the boats
coming up behind you and you have to work to stay in front of them.”

Tied for 3rd behind them in class was Bob Musor’s J/130 SCEPTRE from
Charleston, SC; having to settle for 4th on the tiebreaker countback.

Then, in the ORC A class, Robin Team’s TEAMWORK won the last
inside-the-harbor, storm-tossed race, to hold on to third overall. In
the ORC B class, Willy Schwenzfeier’s J/35 ARROW won their last two
races to take second. John Keenan’s J/120 ILLYRIA liked the breezy last
race, posting a 2nd to finish fourth overall.

In the Pursuit Non-Spin class, Bill Hanckel’s J/120 EMOCEAN brought home
the silver after winning their last two races, just one point shy of
the lead!